Coe Circle

Joan of Arc by Emmanuel Frémiet in Coe Circle

Coe Circle is at the intersection of Cesar Chavez and Glisan on Portland's eastside. I go by it every time we visit Providence Hospital. I never noticed the statue there even though I've been by this place at least a dozen times. Of course, I'm normally preoccupied with navigating this intersection, I don't have time for sight-seeing.

This week required taking a new route and while I'm perusing Google Maps a photo of this statue comes up. Dang, that's shiny. Funny I never noticed it before. While it might be a big statue, relatively speaking, from a 100 yards away it kind of fades into the background.

The statue is made of bronze, but bronze wouldn't stay that shiny, would it? No, it's shiny because it's gilt, which I take to mean it's covered with a microscopically thin layer of gold. Supposedly Coe Circle is a park, but getting to it is a bit of a trick as there is no parking and no cross-walks.

From the Wikipedia page:

The statue was added to Coe Circle in 1925. It was one of four statues given by Henry Waldo Coe to the City of Portland. It was made from the original molds of Frémiet's statue, which Coe saw on a visit to France. Portland's statue arrived from France in 1924 and was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 30, 1925, honoring the Doughboys of World War I. Dr. Coe chose to gift a statue of Joan of Arc because she was the patron saint of the Doughboys while they fought in Europe during World War I. It is reported that the Doughboys would sing Joan of Arc, They Are Calling You as they marched into battle. Dr. Coe is quoted as saying the singing of this song, “...had much to do in reviving the drooping spirits of the French and bringing victory out of defeat” and at the unveiling ceremony of the statue the Royal Rosarian quartet sang that song.

And just who was this guy Coe? More Wikipedia:

While in the Dakota Territory, Coe met the young Theodore Roosevelt, who had gone there to regain his health. Their friendship lasted until Roosevelt's death in 1919.

He and his wife Viola (Boley) Coe, also a physician, moved to Portland, Oregon in 1890 where they focused on treating nervous and mental diseases, and where he owned and operated the Morningside Hospital.